Hamilton reveals costly misunderstanding that led to Brazil GP spin

The Ferrari driver was caught out by a sudden increase in rainfall during the closing stages of the race at Interlagos, losing control of his car at Turn 1 and narrowly avoiding a collision with the barriers.

Hamilton was particularly frustrated by the incident, having shown promising pace in the slippery conditions before the spin. The seven-time world champion explained that he was closing in on Liam Lawson at a significant rate and believed he could continue gaining ground without switching to intermediate tyres.

However, Hamilton's decision to remain on slicks proved costly when the conditions deteriorated more rapidly than he anticipated.

The Briton explained that he was not informed of the extent of the rainfall at Turn 1, leaving him unprepared for the significantly reduced grip when he arrived at the corner: "I thought the conditions are staying the same, so I was like, okay, I'm gonna stop this now. I'm good. And then I get to Turn 1, and it's drenched. And so I didn't get that information."

Hamilton managed to avoid the barriers despite losing control of his Ferrari, but the incident brought an end to his hopes of making further progress in the closing laps: "So unfortunate with that. And then I was just trying to bring the car back. So I was like, sorry to the team on that."

The incident added to a difficult afternoon for Hamilton, who also struggled with rear tyre degradation during the opening stint: "We're struggling with our tyres today, getting them in the window. After these first few laps, the tyres just started to fall on the rear and the car moved to massive, massive oversteer."

Hamilton nevertheless praised Ferrari's efforts throughout the weekend, despite acknowledging that the team lacked the pace to challenge its rivals consistently: "Overall, I think the team did a really, really great job this weekend. We didn't have the pace we wanted to."